The Window
by FaerieRing
Summary: What if Wendy promised to always leave her window open? What if she forgot?


**The Window**

Wendy looked out her window after Peter left and she wondered when she would see him again. Her family rejoiced behind her, but she was deaf to their merry making until Nana pulled her back into the fray. She hugged her parents and she and her brothers promised to never run away again. But to Wendy, those promises were hollow, for she had already pledged to follow Peter Pan if he ever again came through her window. And so she left the window unlocked.

Her adventure in Neverland stalled her father for a little while as he and Mrs. Darling celebrated the return of their children. However, 3 months after her return, Wendy was moved out of the nursery. She now had a room of her own, and no one was allowed in unless they knocked first. She still played with her brothers of course, but now she would leave the nursery for her own room after story time, instead of crawling into bed with them. But, despite the changes, Wendy still walked through her days to the sound of faerie bells and left her window unlocked. Still waiting for her sprightly friend.

The years pasted and many things changed. John and Micheal moved out of the nursery too, and stopped asking for stories, claiming they were to big and grown up for such nonsense as faeries, mermaids and pirates. Wendy grew as well and her book shelves and thoughts, once stuffed full of faerie tales and magic, were replaced by magazines and beauty books, sharing the latest gossip and fashion trends, were once faerie dust sparkled. Wendy began to forget about Peter and her promise to remember, pushing them away as a dream that was too silly to be real. She took to latching her window most nights, wondering why she ever left it open in the first place. But still, something pulled at the back of her mind and Wendy would unlatch the window the next morning, though only to "air out the room" of course.

And so the years passed.

Peter was happy. He had been very busy cleaning up the pirate's mess and taking care of the Lost Boys but now he was finally free to do as he pleased. Leaving Tink behind to watch over the Boys, Peter flew off into the night.

His first stop was the Darling residence. Only a few months or so had passed in Neverland (for one must remember that time passes differently there) and so he expected to find Wendy and her brothers in their nursery, possibly still awake and reading stories if he was early enough. He was certain though, if they were asleep, they would not begrudge him waking them. They seemed to like his adventures too much to stay mad.

When Peter got to London it was already dark and so was the Darling house. He peered through the nursery window and was startled to see that Nana's dog house had been removed and the only bed in the room was Wendy's, now sporting a young boy who looked nothing like John or Micheal. Peter was confused. Where were John and Micheal? Who was this stranger in Wendy's bed? And most importantly, where was Wendy? He went to open the window to ask the stranger these very questions but found the glass would not move! The window was latched! Worried now, Peter flew round to Mr. and Mrs. Darling's window to see if he could get in there, but found the room empty and the window once again locked.

He began to fly around the house looking for an occupied room, until he found one across the hall from nursery. There a young couple was sitting on a large bed, looking down on the bassinet beside it. The woman looked familiar but did not notice Peter. The window to this room was locked too, and so Peter began banging on it, trying to catch the couple's attention. They did not move however, until the banging woke the toddler in the bassinet, who then started hollering.

The woman picked up the child and rocked her as she walked towards the window, assuring the little girl that the noise was only a branch knocking the windowpanes. The little girl was insisting however that there was a boy peering in. When they reached the window the woman paused, searching for what her daughter had seen. After a few moments she shook her head and turned as her husband called out to her "Come back to bed Wendy, Belle probably just imagined it. She'll settle down in a moment.". Peter Pan stared in shocked silence as Wendy put her child to bed and climbed into her own. At that moment a realization hit him. Wendy had broken her promise. For she could not see him, and the window was locked.


End file.
